Defend (Mind Loft)

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Black to play: find the only move that does not lose to mate.

on mindloftdaily.com

Defend Sunday Edition, 18 Oct 2026, on desktop: Black's king, rook and pawn against White's king, queen, rook and bishop, under the line Mate in 4 against everything else

Defend is a free daily chess puzzle from Mind Loft that turns the mate puzzle around. You play Black, White threatens a forced mate, and every legal move loses except one. Finding it only buys the next turn, where again only one move holds.

About Defend (Mind Loft)

Most chess puzzles ask you to find the checkmate. Defend asks you to stop it. You are Black, and White has a forced mate in three against every move on the board but one. Tap a piece and its legal squares light up, so no chess notation is needed.

On every board at least five moves appear to answer the immediate threat, and only one actually does, a fact checked by three independent solvers. Once you find it, White replies and the position again leaves exactly one surviving move, because finding a save is not the same as holding the game. Any legal move can be played, none are taken back, and a hint, Give up and Restart are available.

A new position appears every day at midnight Eastern, and on Sundays you have to hold for four moves instead of three. Mate is the same kind of puzzle from the attacking side, and Mind Loft's End Game set also includes Check (checkers) and Four (Connect Four).

How to play Defend (Mind Loft)

Open Defend and press Start to see the position, with Black to move.
Look at White's threat and every move that seems to answer it.
Tap a black piece and then its destination; there is no take-back.
After White replies, find the single surviving move again until you have held for the required number of moves.

Screenshots

Defend at phone size: the same 18 October board under a Held 0 of 4 progress bar, with Hint and Restart buttons below

Tips

List White's checks and captures first; the threat is usually a forcing sequence.
Moves that answer the obvious threat often lose to a second one, so test each candidate against every White check.
Counter-attacks with check can be the only defence that works.

Questions

What time does Defend reset?

A new Defend position goes up every day at midnight US Eastern Time, the same for every player. Sundays step up to a hold for four.

Is Defend free?

Yes. Defend plays in the browser on Mind Loft with no app and no account. Signing up with a display name (no password) puts your result on the daily leaderboard; an email is optional.

Can I play earlier Defend puzzles?

Yes. Mind Loft keeps an archive of past Defend boards together with each day's standings.

Do I need to know chess notation for Defend?

No. Tap a piece and its legal squares light up; tap a square to move.